December 26, 2009
Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr
But [Stephen], filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. Acts 7:55-57
When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:19-22
Piety
Angelus Message for Feast of St. Stephen 2003 by Pope John Paul II
1. Today, in the joyful atmosphere of Christmas, we are celebrating the Feast of St Stephen, one of the first deacons of the Church. He is also known as the “Protomartyr” because he was the first disciple of Christ to pour out his blood for him. Stephen was stoned to death because of false accusations similar to those leveled at Jesus himself and, like the Master, he died forgiving those who killed him.
2. The Church calls the day of martyrdom a dies natalis (birthday). Indeed, by virtue of Christ’s death and Resurrection, the death of the martyr is a birth in Heaven. This is why it is so meaningful to celebrate the First Martyr the day after Christmas: Jesus who was born in Bethlehem gave his life for us so that we too, reborn “from on high” through faith and Baptism, might be willing to give up our own lives for love of our brothers and sisters.
Today I would especially like to remember the Christian communities that are suffering persecution and all the faithful who suffer for the faith. May the Lord give them the strength to persevere and the ability to love even those who cause their suffering.
3. May Mary, Mother and disciple of her Son Jesus, accompany all Christians on their journey, from the baptismal font to the hour of their death. May she, Queen of the Martyrs, help us too to be “martyrs”, that is, witnesses on every occasion to the love of Christ whom we contemplate in these days as a Child in the crib.
(From http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=5459)
Study
College recruiting posters and web sites show prospective students current enrollees smiling while crouched over microscopes with jovial members of the faculty. They show victorious sports teams with a cheering student body. They do not depict the “all-nighters” with stale, cold coffee cups fueling the last-minute cramming of every ounce of knowledge possible in between the bookends of two ears.
Television commercials recruiting members of the Marine Corps focus on the creases of the red and blue dress uniform that are razor sharp, the blades of the swords shine like Aunt Marie’s silver service. They do not show the exhausted faces of new recruits at the end of a day at boot camp on Paris Island with blood and sweat and toil and tears streaming down. They do not show bunkers in Central Asia where the face of an enemy suicide bomber or improvised explosive device could lurk behind any or every valley, veil, or vehicle.
However, the liturgical calendar does not gloss over the price of friendship with Jesus. The calendar does not allow the celebration of Christmas joy to continue uninterrupted without throwing a glass of cold water in our collective faces. Although the season will continue for several weeks into the New Year, our first lesson after Christmas Day is on the price of following Jesus. By placing this feast day right after Christmas, the Church leads us to compare the Master and the disciple. Such a comparison will inevitably lead us to ponder the end result of the imitation of Christ even unto the complete gift of self.
Just yesterday, the prophecy of Isaiah came to fruition with the great song of praise: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, “Your God is King!” Isaiah 52:7
St. Stephen also continued to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy. With his beliefs, he also fulfilled the words. “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch.” (Isaiah 61:1)
This powerful God also passed along this power to his children. “But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:12-14
St. Stephen counted himself among these children of God. He personally saw God’s only son in all his glory standing at the right hand of the father. And what did St. Stephen get for his belief? He got the same kind treatment that John the Baptist got. He got the same kind of treatment that Jesus got. In a word, he got executed.
Action
As we continue to bask in the glory of the Incarnation, the joy of the season can not be seen in isolation from the whole message of the Gospel and the life of Christ and the saints. Is it any wonder that St. Therese of Avila reflected: “If this is how you treat your friends no wonder you have so few of them!”
Let us not forget the reminder St. Matthew wrote: “…but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
